Today, April 17, Wines of Argentina celebrates Malbec World Day holding events in over 42 locations around the world, featuring wine tastings, tango performances and food. April 17 was elected as Malbec World day because on April 17 1853, a bill was submitted to Mendoza’s House of Representatives proposing to create a School of Agriculture. This school “Quinta Normal” was of outmost importance in the development of grape growing and winemaking in Argentina. That same year, the director of this school brought to Argentina Malbec vines from France, for the first time. As part of the celebrations emblematic monuments in Buenos Aires City like Obelisk (at the famous 9 de Julio Avenue), Puente de la Mujer, Dam 4 canal in Puerto Madero and Monumento de los Españoles will be lit up in Malbec color. Other festivities will take place in n New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Ottawa, Toronto, the UK, the Netherlands, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, and Costa Rica. Find an event near you! http://www.malbecworldday.com/index.php/event Related Posts: PAUL HOBBS: 2011 Malbec May be One of the Best Interview with the Director of the Argentinean Winery Ruca Malen Laura Catena’s Thoughts on Argentinean Wine Espumantes de Argentina – Argentinean Sparkling wines Estados Unidos [...]

TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) recently announced that, effective April 23, 2012, it will allow the labeling of imported wines with multistate appellations of origin. This new rule amends the regulations regarding wine labeling and gives imported wines the same treatment that TTB already gives to domestic wines with multistate appellations. The rule will also keep consumers better informed about the origin of imported wines.

On March 25, 2012 we attended one of our favorite wine festivals in San Francisco, the Rhone Rangers. For those that aren't familiar, Rhone Rangers is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Rhone varietal wines produced in the United States. It includes 200 winery members, all of which must produce at least one Rhone –style wine. Rhone varietal grapes include, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne among others.

Mendoza's governor recently announced that he will bring back to life the outdated "Wine for the Tourist" law. "Wine for the Tourist" (Vino Turista) is a type of wine that has to be labeled as such and meet specified quality and price controls. Although it will be optional for wineries to offer a 'Tourist Wine' in their portfolios, hotels and restaurants will be forced to offer it on their menus

In the wake of the death of world famous singer Whitney Houston, organizers of the Beverly Hills Wine Festival modified their February 26, 2012, program to include a special tribute called "Remembering Whitney." The decision was immediately cancelled, however, amidst opposition from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Whitney Houston's estate and criticism from renowned entertainment bloggers.

On January 30, 2012 the European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) upheld a 54.9 million Euro fine imposed by the European Commission on Spain in 2008 over the finding of illegal vineyards. According to the ECJ, the Spanish government did not exercise adequate control over vineyards during 2003 and 2004, and found that 9280 hectares of vineyards in the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura were illegal.

2011 was an interesting year for the California legislature, especially at the end of the session, where they wrote 48 bills during the last three weeks. Some of these bills were written using a peculiar process known as "gut and amend" which consists of deleting the text of existing bills and replacing it with something new. Twenty two of these bills were sent to the governor, and 19 of them were signed into law. These are the laws that took effect beginning January 1st, 2012 that apply to the wine industry:

On December 2011, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) of the U.S. Department of Labor released a new guide to help farmers better understand how to hire seasonal foreign agricultural workers. In the United States, Agricultural businesses can hire foreign employees to come to the United States to work temporarily in agricultural jobs utilizing the "H-2A Program".

If you love wine country around the holidays like me, here are few of my favorite events going on around Northern California: Yountville, November 25, 2011, from 2-6pm: Festival of Lights Yountville kicks off holiday season wine country-style with a festival of lights celebration featuring gourmet cuisine, premium local wines and late night shopping. This is a great opportunity to enjoy wine country with the kids. There will be horse-drawn carriage rides, performances by the Napa Valley Ballet Company and the VOENA Children’s Choir, and a special appearance by Santa Claus. The festival will also feature a silent auction benefitting children’s programs in Yountville. Calistoga, December 03, 2011: Annual Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade Calistoga celebrates the holiday season and its agricultural heritage with a fun night-time parade of vintage and modern tractors and other agricultural equipment bedecked with lights rolling down Calistoga’s at Main Street. This year the parade promises to have extra glitter as the town celebrates its 125th anniversary. While in town, take advantage of Winter in the Wineries Passport and taste the wines of Calistoga Appellation. Napa, December 4, 2011: Hanukkah Hootenanny! Latkes and libations at the Judd’s Hill Annual Hanukkah Hootenanny! Featuring an “Extravagant Latke Bar” and a live band playing traditional Jewish folk songs. Judd’s Hill Winery, 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa, [...]

In their October 15, 2010 edition, the Wine Spectator published a list of 200 great values wines from 15 countries. Value wines are not “cheap wines”. They are high quality wines in terms of flavor, type and style at a low price. 10 Argentinean wines made the cut: only one white, Alamos Torrontés Salta 2009 [...]

On September 14, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval for the Alcohol Cost Recovery Fee ordinance known as “Charge for Harm”. The fee seeks to collect aprox. $16 million to mitigate alcohol-related medical costs locally.
The ordinance will charge California’s alcohol wholesalers and distributors a fee that will range from 3 to 5 cents per drink minimal. Many [...]